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PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCIENCE
Citation:
DAUGHTON, C. G. PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SCIENCE. Presented at Local Section of the American Chemical Society, Las Vegas, NV, April 22, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation
Description:
"Take only pictures. Leave only footprints." Perhaps the ultimate expression for the concepts of sustainability and the "ecological footprint," this credo of the hiker and spelunker reflects the collective importance of the seemingly innocuous, minuscule impacts that can accrue from each individual’s isolated personal actions, activities, and behaviors. In everyday life, however, this credo is simply not possible to uphold, as humans unavoidably leave behind indelible trails of telltale fingerprints. Wherever we live or travel, we impart unique chemical signatures on the environment in the form of minute residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) that we excrete, wash from our bodies, or discard to sewerage or trash. While the contributions from each individual may be insignificant by themselves, the combined contributions from all individuals, as well as from medicated animals, reach measurable levels in surface and ground waters and on land receiving treated sewage.